Rocky Marciano... who did he NOT face?

This most intriguing thread by McGrain shows that Rocky did quite a good job in his short reign, particularly when you compare him, title defense wise, to extremely long reigning guys like Wlad and Holmes.

With regards to taking on his top challengers, one could say he's only behind about three of them.

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...best-fighter-on-the-planet-most-often.701311/

 

While Bob Baker and Nino Valdes were supposed to get the shot,Nino somehow just got greedy and tried to fight Archie Moore as a tune up(Archie was the one tuning up instead),idk about Baker

 

Marciano did a lot with his time as I have come to read often is that he missed Valdez "because" of Moore and he was done after Moore, I believe it's been said and written Marciano couldn't be bothered for Ol Arch but he felt the people would say he'd not defeated his greatest challenger and he was.

 

Floyd Patterson

 

Harold Johnson beat several standout HWs of the era including Charles & Valdes. Would've been interesting to see him fight Rocky IMO.

 

Marciano crushes Patterson as soon as he gets to Floyd's chin.

This is a woman who loves Floyd and got his autograph back in te 90s saying this. Floyd was always one of my favorites.

Still. They did not fight.

 

You specify while he was active, which in my eyes means when he was champion.

As far as I am concerned he can fight whoever he wants when he is just a contender.

The two strongest contenders that he missed in my opinion were Nino Valdez and Bob Baker.

If you then wand to cast the net further, men like Dan Bruceroni, Earl Walls and Clarence Henry would have ben viable challengers.

Bottom line, unless he is going to be a significantly more active champion, I can't see how he could have done much better.

 

His stay among the elite of his era was right at 4 years, from Layne to Moore, and it was an era depleted by the war, with holdovers from earlier days or lighter classes realizing the vacuum and making their plays. But clean it out what was left in this nadir he definitely did do.

 

Clarence Henrys a huge one. Baker, John Holman. Everyone who would have popped up in a year or two if he'd kept fighting.

 

Yeah Moore engaged in an all out PR campaign to get Marciano to fight him otherwise Marciano was done after Cockell. If not for this Moore likely is considered a HW champion today it is one of the great miscalculations in boxing history.

 

I have no problem with his resume he fought alot of top contenders although it would've been nice to see him fight Baker or Valdez as Marciano never fought a real prime 200+ pound elite Heavyweight.

My issue is people are too nostalgic and believe 5'10 67 inch 185 pound Heavyweight beats elite modern Heavyweights and that's just not realistic. He was great for his time but he would not be nearly as effective if he fought in any era past the 1950s.

 

Rereading the thread, I came across a claim that I always suspected but could never verify. Is it true that Holmes never fought his number one contender? If so, why is he commonly ranked at number 3 in heavyweight? I'd suspect this would disqualify him tbh

 

Patterson was campaigning as a LHW, and not on the list.